Apr 29, 2009

Bike racing in Indiana moves North this weekend with the Fat and Skinny Bike Fest at Winona Lake. This fun weekend of racing has a Saturday DINO MTB race, a Saturday Road Race and a Sunday Crit. Register before Thursday night to get the discount for the latter events. As well as the racing there are Expos, beer tents and a BMX demo. All in all it's a fun weekend! It's the home race for the Alderfer Bergen team so expect them to clean up in all the road events! We shall see!

It was a damp but not too soggy evening out at MMSF and the wet roads meant lower rolling resistance (or so the TT experts tell me). So it was that Issac Neff continued to show his excellent form by being the first rider to dip below 21minutes on this course as he averaged over 28.5mph for the 10miles. Watch out for Neil Forbes and Taylor Gaines, high school sophomore and junior respectively! There's plenty to come from these talented juniors!Thanks to John Meyers for timing the event.

Apr 28, 2009

The Brown County SP RR was as brutal as advertised. The hill had not got any easier in the past year and each of the races was a battle of attrition. No attacks were needed, people just drop off the pace as the races proceed. Full results are here. The Masters race was a Louisville lock-down with two riders from the Calistoga racing team taking 1st and 2nd. Bloomingtonite Gary Palmer of Team Tortuga came 4th. The Cat 3 event was dominated by the Cincy based junior Prochain team even though a member McDonalds cycling team eventually snuck away to take the W. Riders based in the local area came 4th (Taylor Gaines- Prochain) and 8th (Adam Rodkey, Tortuga).Rodkey on one of the few flat parts of the course!

Local triathlon hammer and BGI employee Ryan Shanahan gave road racing a try in the Cat 4race and as expected showed well to finish in 2nd place.The final event of the day was double the length of any other race with the Pro/1/2 riders tackling 12 lap (60miles) of the course. Amazingly Eric Hamilton (NUVO), Mike Sherer (Alderfer Bergen) and John Grant (TX Roadhouse) were all on the start line even after late nights celebrating Little 500. Eric's great recent form continued as he first managed to stick with the lead group for a few laps before finishing an excellent 5th.Eric Hamilton, climbing always climbing!

Apr 26, 2009

A friend of mine who doesn't know anything about Little 500 asked me what is was all about. I explained like this, 'Thirty Three teams ride 50miles on a cinder lap and have to exchange riders a minimum of 10 times, and at the end of the race the Cutters win'.The previous two years Cutter victories have been almost routine in contrast to yesterdays win. Down half a lap before lap 100 and then hit with a 3second penalty with just 25 laps to go and they still found themselves hitting the front with 1lap to go. The result was then never in doubt as Eric Young flat out CRUSHED everyone else. Although Young will get the plaudits the real hero of the day was Clayton Feldman who on two occasions solidly closed big gaps as he rode his 95 laps. Schroeder and Lusk almost rode solid races which enabled the greatest team in L5 history to take another victory.Photo credit- Velonews

However it really shouldn't have happened. Much of the talk in the watering holes of Bloomington last eve and on the message boards was to do with the performance or lack thereof by the other teams. The Cutters were on the floor and the other teams refused to put their foot on their throats to finish them off. The pits of the contending teams are all so close together that in those 10 laps that the Cutters were half a lap down those teams with all their Little5 experience should have got their heads together and come up with a plan. No one team can be blamed but the collective effort could have been greater. Those teams that finished in the top ten should have improved their position by one place as 10-20 laps of hard collaboration would have lapped the Cutters.

Apr 24, 2009

Three years ago Pi Phi qualed 33rd on their 4th attempt. Today they won the race. If anyone has ever ridden with Caroline Brown you'll known she is a excellent hill climber but she showed her form on the track today (hinted at during MissNOut) as she destroyed the lead pack in a 5-up sprint for the win. In the weeks leading up to the race she also played down the form of her team-mates but they were clearly all riding great as they delivered Caroline the chance at the end.

Anyone who saw Caroline sit second wheel for the final 5 or more laps knew that they were gonna win. They stayed out of trouble and under the radar until the very end and pulled a huge surprise victory!

Other teams on the lead lap were DSP (2nd), KD (3rd- who for some reason led the final 5? laps), Kappa Kappa Gamma (4th, never ever rule them out) and Theta (5th- who rode very aggressively). Rounding out the top ten were DG (6th), Teter (7th- a couple of crashes hurt them), Wing-it (8th), Army (9th) and Athena (1oth- Olivia Yeagy rode like 4 girls!).

The race was run in very windy conditions that likely contributed to a first lap wreck in which 4-year vet Caitlin Coar (Team Rev) broke her collarbone. Not the way she would have liked to finish her L5 career. Please spare a thought for Stephanie Dohman (Alpha Phi) who crashed very hard onto her face and did not immediately move (always a a bad sign!).

Apr 23, 2009

The wider media are picking up on Little 500. The article in VeloNews was written by Mark Zalewski who used to be an IU student and also work for cyclingnews.com. He was also responsible for the fantastic set of pictures documenting the classic 2005 first lap crash. Ooops!

NUVO magazine has chosen the Cutters for an article (what a shocker!).

There is other racing going on very close to Bloomington this weekend in what is a badly timed (for IU student participation) road race at Brown County State Park. The races start early on Sunday morning culminating with the Pro/1/2 race at 1.30pm. The course is straight up brutal. A six mile circuit that goes down a big hill and then back up the other side (about a 1.5mile hill each lap and steep). A true war of attrition in which only the strong survive, let along win! Register before Friday night for a cheaper race. The race is part of the McDonalds Kentuckiana Spring Series.

Apr 22, 2009

So since the start of the year Little 500 fever has been growing steadily. Now…… IT’S GO TIME! And like all serious, not so serious and plain crazed commentators it's time for BVN to make their picks! Sadly there is no Mr Bookmaker style opportunity to wager on Little 500 but if we imagine the (hypothetical) French Lick Sportsbook was asking BVN to lay a line then this is what they’d get-

April 24th- Odds to Win for the Womens race.

Wing-it- 4/1 co-fav. Can the other teams take advantage when Hewitt is off the bike. If not, Wing-it will win. Schwoegler knows how to coach a winner.Kappa Delta- 4/1 co-fav. Cerone, Balbach and Panzica might be the strongest trio in the race.Delta Gamma- 5/1. Ride 4 deep and Heath knows how to finish.Teter- 5/1. So impressive in Quals and yet have seemed jaded recently. Van Kooten is as strong as ever but they MUST seize the day this year.Kappa Alpha Theta- 6/1. Have rebounded strongly from last years difficult race but do they have a finisher?Kappa Kappa Gamma- 8/1. Discount them at your peril. Looked good in TP and know how to win.Alpha Gamma Delta- 10/1. Seemingly always there or thereabouts without ever truly challenging.Army- 12/1. Have the speed but do they have the experience to finish if the opportunity arises?DSP- 15/1. Strong and experienced but TP raised some doubts.Pi Phi- 15/1. Brown has the class but does she have the team support?Gamma Phi- 18/1. Likely a year too soon for another Arnesen to be in contention for the win.

The Field- 35/1. No-one else is deep enough to truly challenge.

April 25th- Odds to Win for the Mens race.

BKB -5/1 fav. Time trial strong but might need to finish solo.Cutters- 6/1. If they are in contention at the end, they will win.Phi Delt- 7/1. Experience, speed and itching for redemption after last years debacle.FIJI- 7/1. Have the speed but do they have the experience to finish?DTD- 8/1. A team on the 3-year slow burn can now compete with Maves and Neibler. Will they work with TMT?TMT- 8/1. Will they form an 8-rider team with DTD and then finish with Parks?GGS- 8/1. Lurking in the shadows and will strike if given the chance.Phi Psi- 10/1. Mercer and Brown offer experience but can the rest of the team get them to the finish?ATO- 10/1. Ziemba and Perez are two of the strongest but they have slipped off the radar during the spring series- could it be a cunning strategy?DU- 15/1. The other teams will have the lap them or D-RR could win it in the sprintSigma Chi- 15/1. Dark horses who seem to be on the up-tick.Acacia- 15/1. Experience will have them in contention but Shelton will have too much to do.Wright Cycling- 18/1. Have been to the top ten before and Thayer rides fast.DSP- 18/1. Will ride smart but have no stand out riders.The Field- 50/1. Someone will pull a Wright and make the top ten but will not win.

Check out BlueLine Films for your L5 multimedia needs (including a sweet shot of Matt Neilber's nostril). In addition they are hosting a party this evening, 3.30- 8pm at the Blueline studio (101 East 6th Street).

Bloomington Bike Club has training rides leaving from Bryan Park at 5.45p each Tuesday and Thursday. It's usually a more mature crowd but that doesn't stop people wanting to hammer every so often. The pace can be a little variable but on a good day it's at a pace to test a racing Cat3.

Apr 20, 2009

It was a meteorologically varied weekend in central IN that significantly impacted the racing. 70F+ on Saturday at Ceraland meant for some good crowds and even bigger race fields (over 60 guys in the cat 3s) whilst thunderstorms on Sunday meant the canceling of the racing in Mooresville. There was plenty of Bloomington-based success at Ceraland. In the Women’s event Louise Turner (Alderfer Bergen) ditched the rest of the field along with her teammate Katie Weber and proceeded to comfortably win the final sprint. Louise Turner winning the sprint The Cat 4 race saw a very nasty crash in the final sprint that resulted in a couple of expensively broken bikes and a rider from Fort Wayne suffering a separated shoulder and an unhealthy selection of road rash. During the race Charles Spencer (IU- Dodds House) took a mid-race prime with a strong sprint. The Cat 3 event was an aggressive affair unfortunately punctuated by a nasty crash to Nick Puaca (Morris Trucking). An unsuccessful late race breakaway featuring a rider from the Turner-Prochain was expertly countered by teammate and Bloomington HS student Taylor Gaines. Taylor and a breakaway companion stayed away for three laps but their effort appears to be doomed coming to the bottom of the final hill. However Taylor found an extra gear to cruise away from the sprinting peloton to take the win. Taylor Gaines had time to salute in the classic mannerThe Cat 1/2 race was dominated by a five man group that included Issac Neff, Chris Chartier (Alderfer Bergen), Eric Hamilton (Nuvo), Ryan Good (Anthem) and noted sprinter John Puffer (Tx Roadhouse). This group was away for over an hour of the 75min race but in the final two laps split leaving Neff, Hamilton and Puffer to contest the finish. Puffer led out the sprint and just held on despite being almost overhauled by Neff at the line. The finishing distance was less than a quarter of a wheel. Eric Hamilton made it two Bloomington residents in the top three positions. Issac and Eric seem to have spent literally hundreds of miles in real and training race breakaways this spring! Overall it was a good day for the Aldefer Bergen team as Chartier, Harry Clark, Mike Sherer and Tom Cox were in the top ten. Bloomingtonite Karim Abdelkader (MOB squad) also finished 9th. Great weather and a great day of racing! Hamilton (front) and Neff in the winning break Puffer (right) pips Neff to the line

Apr 19, 2009

Results are posted from last evenings TP here (men) and here (women). There were no big surprises in team performances but we did learn plenty about title ambitions for next weekend.

- The Cutters continue to impress with their ability to bring a team to the boil right on time. This team of two rookies rode exceptionally into the final of TP. Although Young and Feldman pulled for the final half of the race the other two riders each contributed to the effort (Zach Lusk's sucide pull at around half distance set up the second half burst of speed). The chances of these two riders letting the side down in the main race are small so the other teams need to have a solid plan to distance the Cutters as they have to serve their 2second penalty (they didn't pick up their pitboard on time- D'Oh!).- BKB were really fast out there but who's gonna be their finisher?- Phi Delt went third without Matt Kain and they will be on the lead lap at the end, especially as the weather seems set fair for next saturday.- FIJI, TMT, Phi Psi and GGS are all where they want to be whilst Sigma Chi could be a dark horse contender after following up a top ten qual with another at TP.

Cerone and Balbach- Impressive ride (pic- IDS)

- Kappa Delta were astonishingly good! In the final they came within 2secs of the Womens record set by the formidable Teter quarter of Kovac, Dragan, Douglas and Lindemann and all with essentially two riders pulling the entire way. Their third rider took a few pulls early on and then hung on like crazy as Jennifer Balbach and Jenna Cerone propelled their team to the second fastest time EVER. All this without Julie Panzica who is suffering from a spot of tendinitis.- Whereas KD are a team coming into form then Wing-it is a one women juggernant! Kristi Hewitt rode like a metronome to bust out 42sec laps for the entire twelve laps to finish in 4th place. Her teammates were able to sit on this steady pace for the whole time with no thoughts of ever pulling through. Clearly in the main race Kristi will win if she is there in the finale but the great unknown is how her teammates will respond to the changes in pace that the other teams MUST make. It's one thing to sit in at a steady pace and another to be able to response to attacks. However Kristi's form is such that she might be able to close any gap that another team could open up. It might be the greatest female performance since Jenn Wangerin.Kappa Alpha Theta Ready to 'get at it' (pic credit- Facebook- they own it now!)

- Theta and AGD are strong as expected whilst Army and KKG put in a very close heat in which they both showed they have much to contribute next Friday. DG will be disappointed by their ride but will be A-OK and whilst although Teter yesterday clearly missed Jackie Moeller's calming influence I think their full team will be in contention for the overall win.

Apr 17, 2009

Racing comes close to Bloomington this weekend as the Indiana Race Series kicks off it's 2009 season. Saturday sees racing at Ceraland Park, just to the east of Columbus IN and Sunday sees racing at Pioneer Park in Mooresville, just south west of Indy. As the races as ABR sanctioned, no licence is needed and you can essentially pick the race you want to enter. Collegiate racers can race for $20.Both courses are very rider friendly and are ideal for the inexperienced rider. Each day features an approx 1 mile circuit with very soft corners. Sunday's course has a reasonable hill, the 'packsplitter', that can get tough when solo but can be rolled up in the bunch in the big chainring.There are a couple of races further afield close to the IN/KY border in the McDonalds Kentuckiana Spring Series that should also be fun events. The weather is set fair, especially on saturday, so get out and race!

Apr 16, 2009

The final spring series event of the Little 500 Spring Season is Team Pursuit. After a LeMans style start 3 or 4 riders complete 12 (women) or 15 (men) laps of the track with a teams time being taken when the third rider crosses the finish line. This final point is critical as many a strong challenge has been derailed by two strong riders blowing up their slower team-mate(s) and subsequently having to wait for them. Team cohesion is key! Each heat has two teams who start in turns 2 and 4 and IUSF attempts to evenly match the teams so that catching the opposing team is a real challenge. The heats run from 3.30pm to 9.00pm and the two fastest teams return for final at the end of the evening (9.20pm). Many people might argue that 3rd position is the true winner as your team shows it has great form but yet doesn’t have to ride again!Arguably the most intriguing Womens heat is that which sees Teter and Wing-it matchup (7:18pm). This could be a microcosm of the real Little 500 as Wing-it will have the challenge of managing Kristi Hewitt’s clear strength whilst keeping the rest of the team together. The strategy that they employ could be informative as to their plans for April 24th.Other exciting heats feature KD vs DSP (6:54p) and KKG vs Army Women (8:06p). The latter had the best team performances in ITTs and yet are viewed very much as dark horses for the main event. Qualifications and ITTs showed that their riders have great speed but TP will give a better idea as to their team strength and whether they’ll be competing for the big win next weekend. The fastest heat of the day might well be DG vs Theta (7:42p). These two teams ride 4 deep and it would not be a surprise if the final was a reprise of this heat. DG as defending Little 500 champs are well known and will clearly compete for the win again this year. For what it’s worth your author expects DG to be in the final of TP with Theta, DSP, or Teter trying and falling to take the 2009 title from them! DG looking fine in '09!

Men’s TP will likely see the final confirmation that FIJI are back as a force in Little500. There is pressure on this team as this year is the last chance for it to keep its record of having won the big race in each decade. It’s fair to say that this team of one senior, two sophomores and freshman phenom David Ellis has come out of no-where to be clear leaders in the white jersey competition (awarded to the best spring series team). It would be fitting if TP sees a true renaissance for FIJI as last year was arguably the nadir of their proud team history. Matched up against 3rd street rival Acacia, the lead two riders of FIJI left their third rider behind, were lapped by Acacia, and were roundly mocked by the Acacia supporters in the bleachers. Honestly it was a pathetic performance! However this year the team appears to have its shit together and TP will be the first true test of their team unity. FIJI faces an underrated Gray Goat Cycling (7:06p) in what should be a keenly contested heat.Other exciting heats have pole setters Phi Delts against Cutters (7:30p). Phi Delts are riding four deep but the Cutters arguably have two stronger riders in Eric Young and Clayton Feldman so the pressure will be on third rider ‘Patch’ Schroeder to hang on the wheels and make it to the end! The Cutters have a strong tradition in this event and set the TP record in 1986 with an astonishing 8m38.81s . Look for Phi Psi (Brown, Mercer) and Delta Tau Delta (Maves, Neibler) and GGS (the Keilers) to come close to the final but your author expects to see the Black Key Bulls face FIJI in the final. BKB are built as a solid TTing team so this event should be right in their wheelhouse. Thus far they appear to lack a true sprint finisher and their strength in the main event will come from their ability to keep the pace constantly high so TP should suit them well.I’d encourage anyone to come out and spectate on Saturday evening. When Team Pursuit is done well it is a joy to watch and yet there is the ever-present possibility of an unfortunate crash or a complete team meltdown which in their own way are just as compelling to watch!After winning in 2008, Cutters will find it tricky to be repeat champions.

The Alumni Ride has been a tradition among past Little 500 riders for many years. Let's keep this tradition alive as we celebrate the 59th Running of the Indiana University Student Foundation Little 500.

This informal ride will begin at 9am on Saturday, April 25th, 2009 with a parade lap on the cinders of Bill Armstrong Stadium. Riders will then have the option of two different routes - a short ride through campus (~8miles) and a longer, out and back, ride to Morgan Monroe State Park (~30miles).

This is an informal event, free to everyone, but please be advised that SAG support and water/food stops will not be provided. This is simply an excuse for former riders, alumni, and friends of the race to converge on the cinders of Bill Armstrong Stadium and then enjoy a leisurely (or not so leisurely) ride through the hills of Monroe County. We urge everyone to return that afternoon for the 59th Running of the Little 500. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Matthew Ewing ( mnewing@indiana.edu )or Jim Babcock ( Jbbabbs@aol.com )

Apr 14, 2009

More than a few brave souls ventured out into the chilly April evening air to contest the inaugural 2009 Forest ITT and the times were pretty fast considering the conditions. With Collegiate nationals a little over a month away Issac is clearly in good form as beating Brett and Ryan by over a minute is not a simple task! A great start to the year for sure! Expect the times to get faster from here on out. Next TT is on April 28th.

The Bloomington Triathlon club hosts the first of its biweekly 10 mile TTs on Forest road this evening. Riders will be separated by 30seconds and the first rider will go at 7pm. The course couldn't be more simple- start at the junction of Forest Road and Old SR37, ride 5 miles to the end of forest rd, turn around and come back. All are welcome whether you have all the low profile gear and are looking to beat 21mins or if you are just out riding and aiming to beat 'evens' (20mph). If you can motivate yourself to do it then it's the very best sort of training!

Apr 13, 2009

Team Pursuit is the final Little 500 series event and is on Saturday afternoon/ evening at the L5 track. The team pairings are published and there seem to be a few tasty groupings! Look out for a preview later in the week.

- For those people looking for a fast training ride in Indy, the 46th and Central ride has started. From Aaron Hubbell- 'It's time to fire up 46th/Central. Start is at the church at (of course) 46th and Central in Indy. 6pm every Tues and Thur. Be ready to hammer, and make sure you have pretty solid paceline/pack skills. The margin of error can be pretty thin on this ride'. I'd add that bringing your insurance card is essential as I understand the rules of the road are a minor inconvenience on this ride ;)

- Bedford has got a 'Critical Mass' style bike rally to raise money for cancer research happening on Friday evening. Check out the details here.

- The Second Coach Hep Cancer Challenge is on May 16th. There are a 25K, 50K and 100K ride routes available. Ride it, it's for a good cause!

Apr 10, 2009

There is one road race in the wider Midwest area over the weekend at Deer Creek State Park which is between Dayton and Columbus. Details here.

Advance Notice- The Bloomington Tri-club will be starting their 10 mile TTs in the Forest this coming Tuesday April 14th. First rider will start at 7pm. It's an out and back course starting at the intersection of old37 and Forest road. If you want to ride out to the course then a group usually rides out leaving Bike Garage at 6pm. These TTs will be taking place every two weeks throughout the summer. Check back here for updates and results. Last year there were some rapid times thrown down so expect more this year.

Apr 9, 2009

The Indiana Mountain Bike season kicks off this weekend in Avon with the tune-up event in the DINO series. This series has seven events all throughout the state include a race in Brown County State Park on May 31st. Plenty of guys and girls come out to ride and it's fun series! For full details see here.

Apr 8, 2009

Your author considers himself the WW 446 barometer! As an average Cat 3 if I can sit in the group then the pace is average but if it's particularly fast week then I am OTB !Well today the pressure was high and your author was GASSED after an ill advised early move off the front. A strong group of Alderfer Bergers (Cox, Neff, Sherer, Stewart), Fred Rose, Eric Hamilton, John Meyers, Ryan Shanahan and Trek-PRO Guy East were all ready to throw it down with no prisoners being taken. A steady stream of Cat 3 and 4s were blown out the back of the group in the early laps before the pace settled toward the end. After predicting a throw-down, Meyers took another victory in somewhat of a non-sprint after he benefited from some strong work from Mike Sherer.And of the Little 5ers whose form must now be coming to the boil? Phi Psi had two guys survive until the end whilst Delts also had three guys riding well until the latter stages. Watch out for those teams to be rocking it hard in a couple of weeks!

Hillsboro- Roubaix sounds as tough as advertised- check out the Bton bloggers for details and the results are here.

Sunday was the Marian crit and in the early races a few IU riders came to race. In a surprisingly lively Mens D race a few PIKE guys were mixing it up. Steve Meyer, Alex Frist and Kirk Weesner all made the top ten and these guys will definetely be challenging for the top 15 at Little 5 (after qualing 18th). In Mens C, Brant Powell was the lone IU rider and after being off the back early, he fought back to the peloton, attacked off the front and finished 5th in the final sprint. In Mens B, Grey Goat IU riders Nick Puaca and Ryan Kiel were active throughout and if not for a little bad luck in the finale would have finished further up.The rain started to fall as the Womens A race started. There was a crash 50meters after the start, bolts of lightening appeared 5 minutes in and after the 10minutes the race was over. Louise Turner did hit the deck on one occasion but got back up to finish 3rd for IU. After that the heavens truly opened and the Marian Police cancelled the Mens A and the USAC races- a disappointingly soggy end to a day that started with ideal bike racing weather.

Apr 4, 2009

On the Mens side David Richardson-Rossbach (DU) beat Eric Young (Cutters) in a tight sprint with David Ellis (Fiji) trailing in third. D-RR basically attacked just before turn three in each elimination lap during the semis and in the final and was A-OK doing so each time out. In the final he got a slight gap on Young and then just held it to the line. Impressive riding for sure! Other finalists were Matt Kain (PDT- 4th), Steve Ziemba (ATO, 5th) and Kenny Parks (TMT).

On the Womens side the final three were Caitlin Van Kooten (Teter), Kristi Hewitt (Wingit) and Caroline Brown (Pi Phi) although to say it was a final three would be misleading. After the final elimanation sprint Hewitt just kept going, riding a two lap ITT to win by a straightaway! She even punched the air in celebration on the back-stretch of the final lap! There is NO doubt who the fastest Womens rider is this year! Van Kooten was left to try and pull Hewitt back and so was beatly in the sprint by Brown for 2nd. For a rider who also climbs hills fast it was an impressive track performance by Caroline and I for one will be taking the Pi Phi challenge seriously! The other finalists were Jenna Cerone (KD- 4th), Kate Rogoski (DSP- 5th) and Sonja Arnesen (Gamma Phi).

Overall the event was run in beautiful weather with a good crowd throughout. The officiating was excellent with only Olivia Yeagy (Athena) and Robert Perez (ATO) having slight reasons to feel aggrieved but in something as tight as MnO these some errors are inevitable.Next up for the Little 500 riders- Team Pursuit on April 18th.

Little 500 series events in the spring are like London buses, you wait all year for one and then two come along at once! Saturday at Noon sees the 2009 version of Miss-N-Out (otherwise known as ‘the Devil’). This event sees riders seeded based on their ITT performance and placed in a bracket which after 3 round ends up in a six rider final (the brackets can be found here). Each heat has between 5 and 8 riders and each lap the final rider to cross the line will be eliminated. This continues until 2 or 3 riders remain who then move on to the next round. The highest seeded riders line up adjacent to the gutter so are able to control the pace and of course have the shortest distance around the track, The race takes two forms A, a succession of short sprints or B, a steady but inexorably increase in pace by the lead rider that burns off the other riders.Racing in the early round is often pedestrian given the high disparity in rider quality but in later rounds things heat up and the lead rider can come under pressure. Remember you only have to beat one rider each lap so don’t use too much energy! Last years winners were Issac Neff (seeded 1st) and Sarah Rieke (seeded 2nd), neither of whom will be riding this year. This event is different to ITTs as you have to actually race your opponents (in theory at least- riders tend not to take the initiative as much as they could). However everyone has the same gear so track position is hugely important and the higher seeded riders often progress to the final.Outside of the top ten ranked riders look for Jackie Moeller (Teter-finalist last year), Kristina Heath (DG), Julie Panzica (KD), Clayton Feldman (Cutters-2nd last year), Matt Neibler (DTD), Graham Gifford (Dodds) and Ren-Jay Shei (BKB) to compete for their respective wins. These riders have some road racing experience and the sort of stop-start efforts required in these races may come in handy in ‘the Devil’, Of course in those races not everyone has the same gear ratio which is the great equalizer! Team Teter dominated the 2008 MissnOut (photo-idsnews.com)

This weekend sees the Midwest road racing season kick off in earnest. On Saturday the 8th edition of Hillsboro-Roubaix road race takes place in Southern IL. This race is fast becoming a Midwestern classic due to it being run on small country roads often in howling gales, is of long distance and even has a few cobbles in the host town of Hillsboro. The fields are REALLY big with a hundred riders lining up in the Cat 3, Cat 4 and the Cat 1/2 race. Sadly the Womens 1/2/3 field has just 14 pre-registered riders. There is plenty of Bloomington interest in the 88-mile Cat 1/2 race as it is the coming out party of the new improved Alderfer Bergen Cycling Team which, although based out of Warsaw, IN features Issac Neff, Mike Sherer, Tom Cox, Brett Stewart, Chris Chartier, Bri Kovac, Erin Hetzel, Louise Turner and Pam Loebig, all of whom have Bloomington connections. Other local riders participating in the main event include Eric Hamilton, Ryan Knapp and John Meyers. The field is a whos-who of Midwest talent including a full Texas Roadhouse squad and Jelly Belly pro Bryce Mead. Elsewhere in the 66-mile Cat 3 event look for Tortugan Adam Rodkey to open his season with a strong performace. Check out the linked blogs to read all about the race.

On Sunday there is a full slate of collegiate racing on a tight criterium circuit through the grounds of Marian College in Indianapolis. It is usually a great day of racing and I’m sure there’ll be a good selection of IU riders in attendance (there should be!). Following the collegiate races there is a Men’s Cat 1/2/3 race in which all the Indiana hammerheads will be attempting to take on Guy East, the Indy native who now rides for the Trek-Livestrong P-R-O team! In last years collegiate ‘A’ race Marian student Bennett-VDG made the classic mistake of celebrating his ‘win’ a little too soon….it happens to the best of sprinters…once!

Apr 2, 2009

There is a tradition to unofficially give said award to the first Men's racer(s) who are beaten by a girl at Series Events.

So without further pause-

Kristi Hewitt's new record made it tough for those dudes out there as she beat 101/165 riders. Thats 61% of the Mens field! However our lucky winner with a time of 2:34.08 is James Coudright of TMT! Hopefully for them it won't be the only award they win this year!

And our winner from Quals where Team Teter set another record?

Oh yes it was ZBT!!! Teter would have failed to make the Mens race by 0.14s! Beta were sooo close to winning something!

My name is Louise Turner and I am a PhD student in Exercise Physiology in the department of Kinesiology in HPER. I am conducting a research study that requires the participation of trained cyclists, and would like to invite you to participate in a research project. The eligibility criteria for the study include being a trained male cyclist under the age of 40 and with no existence of heart, respiratory, or kidney disease (as determined by the completion of a standard medical questionnaire).

What is the study? There is evidence to suggest that inspiratory muscle training (training the muscles you use to breathe in) improves endurance performance in some individuals including cyclists, however the reason for these improvements are unclear. This study aims to look at whether IMT can change the oxygen availability in the muscles that you use to exercise and whether this affects your time trial performance.

This study involves a maximum aerobic capacity test [VO2max test] (~1hr), three 20-km time trials [one is a familiarization test] (~30min/session), two simulated exercise tests (~30min/session), and two exercise sessions (~2hrs/session) over a period of 6-8 weeks. You will also be asked to complete inspiratory muscle training on a daily basis (~5min/day). The tests can be scheduled to suit your schedule and would be able to start whenever it convenient to you (i.e after little 500, or any other commitments).

This research project is completely voluntary, and you can decide not to participate or withdraw from the study at any time. I appreciate you taking the time to consider participating in this study. Your participation in this study would be greatly appreciated, and if you have further questions or you would like more information then please do not hesitate to ask. You will be compensated for your time.

If you are interested in participating or would just like more information at this stage, please contact Louise Turner at loturner@indiana.edu or (812) 855-4632. If you know of anyone that maybe interested in participating please feel free to forward this e-mail to them. I really appreciate your help.

After a perfectly timed ride, Kristi Hewitt (Wing-it) broke the Womens ITTs record with a time of 2m34.00. There was no panic from Hewitt after Jennifer Balbach (whom Hewitt was chasing) set off at a rapid rate and had a couple second advantage after the first of four laps. Hewitt maintained her steady pace before going all out on the final lap to break the two-year old Womens record (Sarah Rieke 2007). Balbach (KD) held on for 2nd place in 2m39.55. Records are made to be broken and the future might be riding into view in the form of the 3rd place rider Sonja Arnesen (Gamma Phi). In only her second year, Arnesen improved by a full 9 seconds this year and in two years we might be seeing Sonja joining her brother Hans as an ITT record holder. Only time will tell on that front but this year is certainly Hewitt's who has shown steady improvement since she founded team Wing-it four years ago. A fitting end to her ITT career.In the Mens race it was all about Eric Young (Cutters) and Kenny Parks (TMT). These riders started at opposite side of the track and were quite the contrast with Young dressed in black and Parks all in white. They were easily the fastest guys on the track last night with Young holding a lead throughout their heat even though Parks cut the gap in the final lap. Young finished in 2m18.25 and is the third fastest man of all time (only Hans Arnesen and Matt Davis have ridden a faster ITT). With two more years of eligibility left we could be witnessing the start of another dominant Cutter career! Third place in the Mens event went to Greg Maves (DTD) who has shown great improvement over his four years in the race and will form a potent double pronged attack with Matt Neilber as DTD try to win L5 this year.Matt Neibler tries to hold back the hurricane as Young passes him in their ITT heat (photo- IDSnews.com)

Next on the agenda for the L5 riders is MissnOut on Saturday when the racers get to race each other and not just the clock.

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Bloomington Velo-News

This is a resource for everything biking in Bloomington IN. Everything and everybody is welcome- rides, results, blogs, opinion etc. Mail me content at sacconetom@gmail.com or if you want to often contribute, let me know.